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Today’s living spaces are small.  Although houses seem to be getting bigger the rooms inside of them seem to be getting smaller, sometimes it is all that the people can afford and sometimes the people who live there have chosen to down size.
  
Whatever the reason, unless you are looking for a cozy kind of an atmosphere, a small room can take its toll psychologically.  You feel cramped and closed in, you may even feel claustrophobic and you find yourself wishing that you had more space.  It is a home decorating nightmare.

Well, unless you decide to move, you are going to have to make do with the space that you have.  Fortunately there are several home decorating ideas that will give you the illusion that your small room looks larger than it actually is.

Here is a list of some of those ideas,

1. Colors - Use light neutral, mono-chromatic colors.  Because light will reflect better with the use of light neutral colors, your room will have more of an open airy feeling.  Keep the moldings and trim the same color.
 
2. Wallpaper and fabrics - Use solid color wallpaper and window coverings.  Make sure that the color that you chose is similar to the walls with only a slight contrast at most.   If you decide to use a design make sure that the repeat is small and not more than two inches apart.

3. Furniture - Use small, light open furniture.  Try using a love seat instead of a full length sofa and open back furniture wherever possible. Avoid over stuffed upholstery.
 
4. Mirrors and glass - The use of mirrors will add an entirely new dimension to the room. As a matter, of fact this is one of the most powerful home decorating ideas that you can use to make a small room seem larger.  You may want to consider using mirror front cabinets as well so that they do not seem so obtrusive.  The use of glass tabletops which will allow you to see the floor will also make your room seem larger.

5. Window treatments - Makes certain that your window treatments let in as much light as possible.  Light is the most important factor when trying to give the illusion of more space. Avoid the use of heavy drapes.

6. Vertical space - Use the vertical space of the room as much as possible.  Use taller furniture as well as floor to ceiling shelving.

7. Clutter - Remove all clutter!  Whatever is out of place and in your way is only going to make the room feel smaller and cramped.  I recently wrote a post on this that you can refer back to for more help in this area.
  
It can be a real challenge decorating small places!  And the rooms that we live in are getting smaller and smaller, sometimes it is by choice, but sometimes it is not.  The good thing here is that although the rooms may be small they don’t have to seem that way.   

The Home-Improvement News begins today with a very note worthy article that comes to us from Market Watch who is saying that The American Hardware Manufacturers Association (AHMA) released last Wednesday the first ever AHMA Home Improvement Industry Confidence Index. 

The index which is produced by two surveys is actually two indexes, one on current numbers and one based on the future, both are based on 100 and both come out monthly.  The current situation index for October had 58% of the respondents saying that sales were below total of one year ago, 19% said sales were the same and 24% said sales were better than last year.

The future situation index which is based on two projections, one for six months and the other one for one year had 15% of the respondents expecting sales to be higher, 42% to be the same and 44% expecting sales to be lower in the next six months.

The response for 12-months showed that 42% expected sales to be higher, 34% expected sales to be the same with 24% expecting sales to be lower.

“We are pleased to provide the home improvement industry with this new measure of the state of the industry,” said Timothy S. Farrell, President and Chief Executive Officer of AHMA. “Over time, the AHMA Home Improvement Industry Confidence Index will provide the industry with a reliable overview of important current sales trends and the mood of the industry looking forward both six and twelve months into the future,” Farrell added.

The AHMA Home Improvement Industry Confidence Index results will be released on the first Wednesday of every month and is based on a survey of all AHMA members.

Although this does not sound like a bad idea at first, I really don’t think that we need another indicator telling us just how bad off the economy is.  These indicators along with the media are what cause many of the economy’s problems.

Next, we have an interesting article that showed up in the Niagra Falls Reviews as well as several other publications around the US.  Do-it-yourself home improvement clubs are springing up around the nation.  It seems that the clubs which are being set up by cost conscious members require members to contribute at least one day per month helping other members with home improvements.
 
The clubs which also provide additional help if it is needed are being set up by neighbors to make home improvement work enjoyable.  They seem to be getting quite a bit done.  So far the group featured in this particular article called the Monthly Improvement Collective of Eugene have built retaining walls, installed flooring and installed a fence.   The host couple plans the work and supplies the tools as well as breakfast and lunch.

“I’m somebody who doesn’t particularly enjoy improving my house,” said Lewis Taylor, 35, the homeowner featured in the article. “But when you make it a party with friends, it’s really cool. You do things you never would have done by yourself.”

Great do it yourself idea!

The last article comes to you today from Big News Biz which is reporting that the members only showroom Direct Buy is offering helpful suggestions for those deciding on whether or not they should take on home improvement projects.
 
“To steal a line from Shakespeare, to thine own self be true,” said Sara Shragal, of DirectBuy.  What Direct Buy is saying here is that you have to be able to understand your limits and your ability level before you tackle a home improvement project.  Because this is so difficult to do they have set up several questions that the customer has to answer honestly.
 
Once the customer is then convinced that they are able to do the job, Direct Buy will assist them in getting direct from manufacturer prices on all of the necessary tools and materials.  And if you decide that the job is more than you are capable of they have product specialists and designers to get the job done for you.

Excellent idea! Just like the last article -I am all for DIY, but only if the job matches the ability level of the individual.

One of the most important aspects when remodeling a room is the flooring.  The right floor can make the difference between a nice room and a spectacular one.  Yet, how do you decide what type of flooring to choose?

Time after time I have been asked by customers “what kind of floor should I use?”  They turn to me because they know that I am a handyman and that I have quite an extensive background in flooring.  Unfortunately, the answer is not easy because there are many things that need to be taken into consideration.  Things like how much and what type of traffic the floor will be getting along with the part of the house the floor is located in are all questions that need to be answered.

And, along with that there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration.  Other factors like budget and understanding that the floor that you may like best may not always be the best choice.  I know of one home that has laminate flooring installed in their basement.  Now, anyone who has any experience with flooring will tell you that a laminate floor is a poor choice for a basement, because should their ever be a flood the laminate will get ruined.

But, the good news is choosing the right flooring does not have to be that difficult if you just have a proper understanding of the different floors available along with the pros and cons of each one.

So what I have done is create a short list of the 5 most common floors available along with their benefits and drawbacks.  Let’s take a look. Read the rest of this entry »

Believe it or not, it’s that time of year when all the ghouls and goblins come out of the woodwork for just one night to try and scare us again.  Yes, tomorrow is Halloween.  I remember Halloween last year when along with my girlfriend Nancy we took her ten year also son up and down the block with a bunch of the other neighborhood kids and their parents.  It was fun, it was dark, the air had a chill in it and the neighborhood had that Halloween feel.  But, not only were the kids dressed up in every way possible, many of the houses on the block were dressed up in Halloween décor making them look really cool and spooky.

If you still have not gotten your Halloween decorations up, do not worry, there is still time.  Here are a couple of Halloween decoration ideas that will not cost very much and get you in the Halloween spirit. Read the rest of this entry »

Doors provide privacy and security as well as keep stuff that you do not want to see out of sight.  Think about it, if you didn’t have closet doors you would be forced to look at all the stuff that you have in your closet that you did not want to see in the first place.
 
In my previous post “Do You Know Where Your Stuff Is?” I made a point of how closets not only keep all of your stuff organized, but out of sight as well.  And, you would not want a closet without a closet door knowing that doors conceal everything in the space behind them.

But what do you do when space is limited and a regular flat panel door becomes an obstacle and more of a nuisance than a necessity - you install bifold closet doors.
  
Bifold doors come in many styles and as the name implies fold in half to save on space.  Now if space is a problem you could use sliding doors, but the problem with sliding doors is that one side is always closed, meaning a part of the entry is always blocked - the doors are always on either the left or the right side.  Also, sliding doors don’t work in a narrow opening because of a lack of space. With bifold doors you can access the entire space at the same time. 

If you are looking to change an existing flat or panel door to bifold doors you could call in a professional.  However, they are rather easy to install, assuming that you have a standard size opening and by installing them yourself you can save some money in the process.
 
Continue reading to learn how easy it is to install your own bifold doors -

But, before you begin installing your new bifold doors here is a list of the tools that you will need:
Screwdriver
Hammer
Power drill

Now let’s begin,

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the major problems in today’s home is too much stuff.  We have so much more than we actually need.  Take a look around the rooms in your house.  If your home is like most, you’ll probably see all kinds of electronic equipment, including the discs, remotes and the assorted wires that go with it.  You’ll probably see books and clothes along with shoes and just a whole lot of stuff that you are never going to need.

So what can you do?  Well, if you read my recent post on clutter you’ll learn that having too much stuff is really an emotional issue that needs to be addressed on a psychological level.  But, assuming that you have addressed all of those issues and there really is some stuff that you do need to keep, where are you going to put it?

How do you get it out of sight so that your home does not wind up looking like one big chaotic mess?  The answer lies within your closets or more specifically within your closet organizational skills. Much of what is stored within your home is stored in closets.  But, what are you going to do if you cannot possibly jam one more thing on your closet bar and every available inch of the shelf is already being used?

Although additional closets can be built in an existing home, there is quite a bit of cost and mess involved in building additional closets not to mention the loss of room space.  Want a better more cost effective idea?  Let’s take a look at what is known as a closet system. Read the rest of this entry »

One frequently overlooked aspect when it comes to renovating any room is lighting.  Most do it yourselfers will usually begin by painting and then as time and finances allow, redo things like flooring, window treatments and furniture, never stopping to realize that one of the most important aspects to any room is lighting.

How to Get More Light:

If your room seems dark or you struggle when working up close you have several options. First, you could begin by installing new window treatments that allow more light to come in.  You could also paint the room a lighter color that will reflect more light making it seem brighter.

However, if these ideas still do not provide the light that you need, you are going to need to consider artificial lighting.  The problem is that there are many different forms of lighting in many different styles so you have to be careful that the light that you choose provides the kind of light that you need.  Let’s take a look. Read the rest of this entry »

The Home Improvement News begins today in Brimfield, Mass. where County Line Farm and Hardware is testing out a new approach in getting business into their store.  Actually, as owner Robert H. Clark put it “funds are tight” and he is hoping that this will help keep him from going under. 

Local officials unanimously approved the license, however it is now pending before the Alcohol Beverages Control Commission which has the final say over all liquor licenses issued in that state.  The store already sells cigarettes and convenience items.

I do and I don’t like this one.  Of course nobody wants to see anyone go out of business, but I do like the idea of having convenience items for sale in a hardware store.  Many times I go in to get something and just wish that the hardware store that I am in carried snack, drinks and whatever I was in the mood for at the end of a long day.  I’m not so sure that alcohol and beer sales will help though.

In Washington, DC, local officials have revealed a plan that aimed at speeding up getting a home improvement permit.   Two kiosks called “Virtual Permit Centers” are being set up at a Home Depot store in northeast Washington.

Residents will be able to submit zoning change applications for new projects such as a deck or fence.  Local officials said that it only made sense being that contractors and do it yourself-ers are always in the store anyways.

I’m giving this one thumbs up.  Anything that reduces or eliminates bureaucratic red tape is good with me.

Last, to quickly touch on the economy, plans to build an 84 Lumber store in Wichita, Kansas have been scrapped.  Just add this one as a victim of the housing slump. Jeff Nobers, vp-marketing and public relations for 84 Lumber Store said that all of the permits were obtained, but that expansion didn’t make sense at the current time.  84 Lumber is the industries third largest chain of lumberyards.

The economy has been the same for at least the last few months - housing slump and a very unstable stock market.  Sounds like the “R” word to me, nothing here that we didn’t know so I saved it for last.